Ontario solar farm move seen as first step

Ontario's decision to host North America's largest solar farm is a step in the right direction, but the large project is just a fraction of the total energy supply and does little to clean up the province's act, critics said yesterday.

Ontario's decision to host North America's largest solar farm is a step in the right direction, but the large project is just a fraction of the total energy supply and does little to clean up the province's act, critics said yesterday.

Ontario plans to bring 14 renewable energy projects online by 2010, including a 40-megawatt solar farm in Sarnia, to be built by OptiSolar Farms and consist of more than one million ground-mounted solar panels.

While critics said they are supportive of almost any renewable energy project that helps wean the province off traditional sources, they insisted the solar plans don't excuse the government's continued focus on coal and nuclear technologies.

"We really need a much more aggressive approach on both renewables and (energy conservation) and we're still not getting that," said Dave Martin of Greenpeace Canada.

"The solar project is a small part of the bigger picture and ultimately we're faced with a government that has cancelled its phase-out of coal generation and is planning to invest ... in nuclear power."

And while the project is large, it's far from ambitious, said Mark Winfield of the Pembina Institute. "The target the Ontario Power Authority set for solar by 2025 is met by this single plant," he said. "There's an awful lot more potential out there for solar and we need a better strategy for realizing that."

Energy Minister Dwight Duncan acknowledged the solar project represents only about two-tenths of 1 per cent of Ontario's generating capacity, but said it will create enough clean energy to power about 6,000 homes and takes pressure off the grid.

canadian press

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